The present invention relates generally to a portable oxygen system analyzer, particularly for evaluating the performance of an oxygen system in a vehicle such as an aircraft.
A function of aerospace research is to find solutions for a host of problems that plague pilots and aircrew. This involves test and evaluation (T&E) and human performance evaluation (manrating) of new and proposed items of life support gear for both air and ground support crews.
One of the items of aircrew life support gear is an on board oxygen generation system, one type being a Molecular Sieve Oxygen Generation System (MSOGS). (An accepted generic term for molecular sieve oxygen systems is On Board Oxygen Generation System or OBOGS). A system that has undergone T&E and man-rating is the MSOGS for the B1-B bomber. The entire MSOGS including concentrator, valves, regulators, backup oxygen supply, switches, hoses and supply tubing configured exactly as in the airplane airframe was installed in a large altitude chamber for formal evaluation. The test configuration was as close to the actual aircraft design as the engineers could make it. Multiple operational tests were then conducted to determine the performance characteristics of the MSOGS as it would appear in the actual B1-B installation.
As an adjunct to the T&E of the MSOGS in the altitude chamber mockup configuration it was decided that an alternate method of evaluating system performance after aircraft installation would be beneficial.
United States patents of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,827 to O'Reilly, which teaches a portable life support system for use with a space garment. Means are provided for circulating both oxygen and a cooling liguid. U.S. Pat. No. 3,587,438 to Foster teaches a control system for maintaining the gas mixture including oxygen under pressure within a chamber. The system has the capability of preferentially supplying oxygen from a sourc to the chamber whenever the oxygen partial pressure is below a predetermined level. U.S. Pat. No. 3,720,501 to Cramer teaches a system enriching the ambient air with oxygen as a result of the release of oxygen from barium oxide in a vacuum. U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,798 to Wendelin teaches a method of reducing ozone in an aircraft cabin by detecting the ozone level and then releasing a source of nitric oxide to reduce ozone if it has reached an undesirable level. U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,474 to Wong teaches a method to control air pressure during periods of ground, takeoff and landing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,584 960 to Colling teaches a control system for undersea vehicles as well as aircraft. The system controls cabin pressurization as a result of sensing atmospheric conditions.